The Essays of Montaigne — Volume 18 by Michel de Montaigne
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page 6 of 91 (06%)
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in long and painful journeys on their behalf. Such was he; and this
humour of his proceeded from a marvellous good nature; never was there a more charitable and popular soul. Yet this proceeding which I commend in others, I do not love to follow myself, and am not without excuse. He had learned that a man must forget himself for his neighbour, and that the particular was of no manner of consideration in comparison with the general. Most of the rules and precepts of the world run this way; to drive us out of ourselves into the street for the benefit of public society; they thought to do a great feat to divert and remove us from ourselves, assuming we were but too much fixed there, and by a too natural inclination; and have said all they could to that purpose: for 'tis no new thing for the sages to preach things as they serve, not as they are. Truth has its obstructions, inconveniences, and incompatibilities with us; we must often deceive that we may not deceive ourselves; and shut our eyes and our understandings to redress and amend them: "Imperiti enim judicant, et qui frequenter in hoc ipsum fallendi sunt, ne errent." ["For the ignorant judge, and therefore are oft to be deceived, less they should err."--Quintil., Inst. Orat., xi. 17.] When they order us to love three, four, or fifty degrees of things above ourselves, they do like archers, who, to hit the white, take their aim a great deal higher than the butt; to make a crooked stick straight, we bend it the contrary way. I believe that in the Temple of Pallas, as we see in all other religions, |
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